Performance Anxiety

This guest made me float. It’s an unusual episode. Today’s guest is Julee Cruise and was recorded in April of 2019. For reasons I have forgotten, the episode was delayed and ended up slipping through the cracks in an old Work In Progress file. Unfortunately we lost Julee in June of 2022. In this episode, Julee is very candid about her work. You’ll find out why, early on in the discussion. She talks about how she got into singing, acting, and playing the french horn. And although she didn’t want to spend too much time discussing her work with David Lynch, she does talk about meeting him, the first thing he ever said to her, and trying to get him to sing. She did get a record deal based on her work on Blue Velvet but that’s not where the strangeness ends. At one point, she was guest on a TV show overseas, seated next to Muammar Gaddafi! Julee also talks about the luxury of touring with the B-52’s and the moments when she had some severe performance anxiety.

She released two albums that were heavy on the David Lynch sound. However, she had much more involvement in her final two albums, which deserved a lot more recognition than they seemed to get. Please check them all out. You definitely won’t regret it and you might actually be surprised! Remember to give us a follow @PerformanceAnx on X & Instagram. You can show us a little love with coffee money at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety or purchasing merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Now get ready to float into the night with Julee Cruise on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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This is such a cool episode of Side Projects. It’s the art of improv! And I have to say, I felt a little bit guilty prepping for this one. Ev & Paul from Cinema Cinema have both been on the podcast before, but never together. And we are all joined by the enigmatic Thor Harris. THere’s a lot of juice in this one. To say all three guests are well versed in improvisational music is possibly the biggest understatement I’ve ever made. It’s almost like saying McDonald’s is well versed at making fast food. 

We begin with a brief history of Thor and how he started playing music and eventually improvisational music. I also get reacquainted with Ev, Paul, and Cinema Cinema. They have just released an album of music that is entirely improvisational and they tell me the whole story behind the session. Yes session. The album, Mjolnir, was recorded in one day in three 30 minute sessions. Thor arrived at BC Studio, arms swinging, with no instruments. No music or lyrics were prepared. And this was the first time Ev and Paul have ever met Thor. So out came Ev’s guitar, Paul’s drums (including a tin whistle he keeps for just such an emergency) and a whole bunch of neglected instruments from the studio’s closets. This was an exercise of being forced to stay in the moment. Nothing was prepared and time was limited. What came out of the sessions was magical. It was so magical that Thor and Cinema Cinema are working on plans to play live together.

Pick up Mjolnir on Cinema Cinema’s Bandcamp page. Follow them @cinemacinemaband on Instagram. Follow Thor @thorharris for more info. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. Buying stuff at performanceanx.threadless.com or sending us coffee money at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety helps us out tremendously. Now throw everything aside and check out the art of improv with Cinema Cinema & Thor Harris on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s guest gives me the blues. But it’s OK; that’s his job. I welcome Lance Lopez to the podcast. While music wasn’t exactly in his DNA, it was a huge part of his family. His dad was in the Army with Elvis Presley and they stayed friends after their time in the service. When he wanted to learn guitar, his dad gave him and acoustic and a Chuck Berry record and said, “Learn this”; no mean feat for a kid not even in double digits.

But his world changed when he saw Stevie Ray Vaughan open for BB King. Lance had no idea who Stevie was at the time. But he sure knew who he was after. He moved to New Orleans with his dad, who encouraged him to play gigs in the French Quarter after school. So while most teens are working at McDonald’s, Lance was playing three gigs a night and then going to class in the morning. All that work payed off when Buddy Miles saw him play and took him under his wing.

After four solo albums and living the blues, Lance’s sound changed and songwriting became his craft instead of soloing.He has been unbelievably busy over the years; at one point even hearing one of his songs and not recognizing himself. But when COVID slowed everything down, he turned to writing and recording remotely as well as repairing tube amps as another income source. Lance’s new album, Trouble Is Good, is a direct product of the pandemic. It’s packed with amazing guests and there’s a tribute to one of his favorite guitarists, who we lost during that time. Go to lancelopez.net and grab Trouble Is Good. Because the album is good, whether you’re a blues fan or not. Follow him @lancelopezguitarist for info and tour dates. Follow us @PerformanceAnx. You can also check us out at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety and performanceanx.threadless.com to help support the show. Now get ready to get the best blues around with Lance Lopez on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s guest makes me look under the bed before I go to sleep. Welcome Belinda Kordic of Crippled Black Phoenix and the new project, Johnny The Boy. Belinda didn’t come from a musical family or start playing music at a crazy young age. But without any real experience, she joined her first band in her early 20’s and just ripped into doing necro vocals. She admits to doing them completely wrong, but it works for her and hasn’t damaged anything. After leaving her first band, STABB (which is actually an unusual acronym) she started a solo project called Killing Mood. It was a complete 180 in sound. But when it found its way into the hands of Justin Greaves of Crippled Black Phoenix, it was exactly what he was looking for. Justin joins us in this conversation and I’m so glad he did. It’s really fun to get multiple perspectives on their work together. That includes their new project, Johnny The Boy. They reveal the origins of not just the band but how the name was decided. We go pretty deep into Belinda’s entire career. But we also peer into the future. Belinda and Justin give us all a sneak peek into some projects they’ve been working on for the 20th anniversary of Crippled Black Phoenix, including some unusual covers. And good news, there are plans for live shows from both CBP and Johnny The Boy. So follow them @cbp_444 and @johnny_the_boy for updated info. Buy the albums on Bandcamp or through Season Of Mist Records. Follow us @PerformanceAnx on socials. Send us coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety or send yourself merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. And keep an eye out for projects combining everyone in this episode! Now get yourself ready for a scream with Belinda Kordic of Johnny The Boy & Crippled Black Phoenix on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s guest just makes me smile. It’s percussionist Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah from African Head Charge. He grew up in Jamaica and began playing drums in the Rasta camps and Poco churches. He was running away a lot and sleeping in graveyards. Music helped him get out of those bad situations. He really connected with it and started helping out bands as a young kid, even becoming an unofficial roadie. He got a gig with The Foundations of Build Me Up Buttercup fame. All of this helped him start African Head Charge. Bonjo tells me how the band started and what African Head Charge means. He also tells me who gave him the name Bonjo.

The band began as a studio project but he was eventually asked to take the music on the road. Unfortunately, his drums were stolen and he couldn’t. But that led to a great future relationship. It also led to him playing the main stage at Glastonbury. Bonjo’s DIY approach and his hard work with African Head Charge unintentionally pissed people off.

After years of hard work, Bonjo moved to Ghana and took some time off; twelve years to be precise. But now Bonjo is back with a new African Head Charge album, A Trip To Bolgatanga. It changes his sound slightly and focuses on African drumming from Ghana. He’s got some special guests on it like King Ayisoba, Skip McDonald, and Doug Wimbish. Pick it up on Bandcamp, On U Sound, or wherever you get music. Follow Bonjo @africanheadcharge on social media. Check us out @PerformanceAnx on X or whatever Twitter is now, and Instagram. Send us some coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety or buy a shirt or something at performanceanx.threadless.com. Now let’s get irie with Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah of African Head Charge on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s guests make me reminisce. Trevor and Laurent from Pelican join me to talk about a lot of stuff. There’s so much history between them and they talk about what music was the most impactful growing up, how they met, and the coolness of riding shotgun and playing cassettes. Their pre-Pelican bands were just as unique as Pelican, but with vocals and more damage. And while Pelican is an instrumental band, that wasn’t planned out. But it worked and the music scene of Chicago supported it, so they leaned into it. Trevor gives us the stupid story of the band’s name and their desire not to be pigeonholed or defined by a genre. And while they are an instrumental band, there are a couple of songs with vocals. We get that story as well as the story about why Laurent left the band and what brought him back.

Pelican has remixed and remastered their catalog from Hydra Head records. There are some great stories about that, too. But even better, there is new Pelican music in the works. And with that comes a more extensive tour. In the meantime, grab the remastered albums at thrilljockey.com or Pelican’s Bandcamp page. Follow them @pelicansong on Instagram on Twitter (or X). Follow us @PerformanceAnx on Instagram and X. You can support us with some coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety or merch purchases at performanceanx.threadless.com. Now let’s get intimate with Trevor & Laurent of Pelican on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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This is an episode about cults music. Music by and for cults, music of The Cult, and so on. But there is one thing I need to make clear. THIS IS NOT A SERIOUS LOOK AT CULTS! This is the exact opposite. And to prove it, I’m joined by Blinker The Star’s Jordon Zadorozny and multimedia artist extraordinaire, Vic Malang. There’s a ton of cult music out there. We talk about L. Ron Hubbard, Father Yod, Aum Shinrikyo, Charles Manson, Brotherhood Of The Spirit, and several others. Vic reveals his Manson obsession and Jordon has a weird, tangential connection to Jeremy Spencer and the Children of God cult. We also talk about Joseph Stalin, shoegaze pioneer. And we get an awkward story from Jordon about Ian Astbury & The Cult

The show finishes with a bit of cult-y history of the Blinker The Star and Vic Malang and their collaborations. Jordan and Vic’s music can be found on Bandcamp. Check them out on Instagram @blinkerthestar & @vicmalang. Check us out @PerformanceAnx. Coffee us at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety or buy merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. And check out the other shows, including the Metallica Report, Metallica’s official podcast on our home, Pantheon Podcasts. Now let’s get cult-y with Blinker the Star & Vic Malang on Performance Anxiety. 

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Today’s guest makes me appreciate the evolution of sound. I’m joined by Shane Harrington, the founder, guitarist, and self described dictator of the band Cinemartyr. And this is actually take two of this podcast. Shane and I were deep into a great conversation before I realized I was having a technical issue. So we started over

Shane hails from New York City via Limerick, Ireland, AKA Stab City. There really wasn’t a whole lot going on, musically, in Limerick, outside of Shane’s father’s traditional Irish band, Irish Rambling House. So when Fugazi came to town, it was big news. After that show, everyone who was there started a band, including Shane.

But there really weren’t many places to play rock in Limerick. So Shane traveled a lot to play. But a trip to New York City proved as life changing as the Fugazi show. It was also one of the craziest stories I’ve ever heard. It involves visa fraud and the FBI. When Shane made the move to NYC, his band, OST, came with him; which was easy since it was basically just him. But streaming issues surrounding the band’s name placing the music in the soundtrack genre forced Shane to rechristen the band Cinemartyr. But that’s not the only change. The band seems to change it’s sound with almost every album. Listening to the discography in order is a journey of transformation. And, in my humble opinion, it seems to be the reverse of most bands. Instead of mellowing out as the band gets older, Cinemartyr seems to get more aggressive. And the latest album, Opt Out, is the most aggressive yet. So check out the album on Bandcamp and give them a follow @cine.martyr on Instagram. Give us a follow @PerformanceAnx, grab some merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. Float us some coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety. I hope you’re prepared for a rollercoaster of ride with Shane Harrington of Cinemartyr on this episode of Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s guest is a reminder to always do your best. It’s Britt Lightning, guitarist for Vixen. Her journey to playing guitar really began after hearing Eruption in a shop and buying Van Halen albums that same day. She started playing guitar in a high school with no music program. But it DID have a guitar club. But she was the only girl and wasn’t exactly welcomed with open arms. But she was dedicated and eventually became club president. She learned a lot of Metallica riffs and playing them in a guitar shop led to joining her first band and going on tour while still in high school, after some careful parental scrutiny.

After that experience, she started her first all-female band. She recruited her sister on drums and they made their debut as the halftime show for a high level sporting event that I can’t name in the intro. All of that led to the band Jaded, which was truly a family affair. Her sister was playing bass while her parents manned the merch table and became roadies. After Jaded ceased, she auditioned for Lady Gaga. While she didn’t get that gig, it did lead to other amazing opportunities like touring the world with 4x Grammy & 22x Latin Grammy winner Alejandro Sanz. That is a wild story in itself and Britt tells it here. It also led to playing with Jason Derulo and touring with Rachel Platten. All of this led to her role as guitarist for the legendary band Vixen. But she does a lot more than just shred on classic metal. She is also a director for Rock And Roll Fantasy Camp. Britt explains what her duties are for the camp and how that led to an association with Teen Cancer America.

This was such a fun discussion. I owe a huge thank you to Simon Davies of Teen Cancer America for the introduction. So make sure you follow everyone in this discussion. You can check out brittlightning.com, @brittlightning on social media, vixenofficial.com, teencanceramerica.com, and Rock And Roll Fantasy Camp at rockcamp.org. You can help out the podcast by buying us some coffee at ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety, buying merch at performanceanx.threadless.com, or by following us @PerformanceAnx on social media. I hope you have as much fun listening to Britt’s story as I did on Performance Anxiety, part of the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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Today’s guest makes me appreciate my childhood. Lincoln Barr joins me to talk about a lot of stuff! He knew early on that music was his calling. He identified with the musicians he saw on TV before he could even play music. But he went to college for English, not music. He also met his wife at that time. Those two things were foundational for his musical style. He moved to Seattle and started the band Red Jacket Mine. Turns out, the families of the Red Jacket Miners weren’t exactly thrilled about the band. But fans of the music were! And the members of Red Jacket Mine have been an important part of Lincoln’s life ever since.

After a few albums, the band ended. Life happened and people moved, including Lincoln and his wife, and it just became too difficult to continue. When he decided to start writing solo material, Lincoln changed everything. He confronted traumas from an abusive childhood. It changed how he wrote. It even changed how the music sounded, whether it’s his solo albums or the soundtrack he wrote for a fascinating documentary called The Past Is Never Dead. It’s the classic combo of dark minor key jazz & child abuse. But seriously, the music is a left turn from a lot of the stuff I listen to. I highly recommend Lincoln’s latest album, Forfeit The Prize. Links to buy it and to follow him on social media are at lincolnbarrmusic.com. 

You can follow the podcast @PerformanceAnx on Twitter & Instagram. If you’d like to support the show, try ko-fi.com/performanceanxiety or buy merch at performanceanx.threadless.com. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did. It’s Lincoln Barr on Performance Anxiety on the Pantheon Podcast Network.

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